Family--New York City 1 c. 1949

This is 'Family--New York City 1' a photographic work by Robert Frank. What strikes me about this piece is the way Frank is playing with the mundane, turning everyday moments into a kind of visual poetry. It's like he's saying, "Hey, look at this! Life is happening right here, right now." The raw, grainy texture of the black and white film adds a layer of authenticity, as if we're peering into a private world unvarnished. The use of the filmstrip itself is interesting, a series of cropped moments from the subjects' lives. I notice the red pen circling one of the images. Was this image chosen and cropped from the others? It’s kind of like editing a painting, making choices, marking things out. The series of images captures intimate moments: someone sleeping, someone reading in bed. Together the images suggest something about the subjects life, but never spell it out. It reminds me of the work of Nan Goldin, who also explored themes of intimacy and the everyday, though in a different style. Ultimately, the beauty lies in its ambiguity, inviting us to project our own experiences and emotions onto the scene.